


‘cause the devil’s got my arms

by heartbreakordeath



Category: Bastille (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Angst with a Happy Ending, Demon Deals, Demons, Inspired by Supernatural (TV), M/M, all of my christmas fics and all of your christmas fics we post them one by one, this is the weirdest mix of angst and crack i am So Sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-04
Updated: 2020-12-04
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:28:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27863077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heartbreakordeath/pseuds/heartbreakordeath
Summary: “Ten years.”Kyle freezes. Dan’s standing there, chest heaving, arms trembling by his sides, throat threatening to close up on him the longer he lets the words hang in the air. “Happy now?”“Ten years,” Kyle breathes, sinking down onto the hotel bed. “Fuck.Fuck.”“You wanted to know so badly,” Dan continues, voice cracking. “There it is. Ten fucking years. That’s- that’s it.”
Relationships: Kyle Simmons/Dan Smith
Comments: 11
Kudos: 19
Collections: Gift Fic Month!





	‘cause the devil’s got my arms

**Author's Note:**

  * For [groundopenwide](https://archiveofourown.org/users/groundopenwide/gifts).



> gift fic month continues!!! 
> 
> i apologize in advance for how dark this got?? that was Not my intention but ig with ej's fic and everything my brain could think of nothing but angst dfjsalkfdssfd that's a first, huh.
> 
> **also!! sorry i did it like this but definitely click the two links when you get to them, otherwise you'll probably be a bit lost at those parts!**

_2011_

Kyle finally finds Dan behind the bar, in an alleyway, sagging heavily against the wall. His pulse spikes at the sight, and doesn’t take a single second to slow down until he’s looking right into Dan’s open, disoriented eyes and helping him up as carefully as he can.

“ _There you are_ , come on, let’s get you-”

“We’re gonna make it,” Dan slurs loudly, curling his fists into his friend’s tee shirt and leaning forward until he stumbles and Kyle finds himself pinned against the opposite wall of the alley. 

“Dan,” he says, because the man’s eyes are clouded with alcohol, but bright with a kind of madness that’s almost dizzying. “You’re scaring me, man.”

“We’re going to make it,” Dan repeats, letting his head fall onto Kyle’s shoulder as all the energy starts to seep out of him. “We have to.”

Kyle wraps his arms around his friend, not really knowing what else to do, or what to say. “Yeah,” he says. “Yeah, we will.”

* * *

_2016_

Dan finds Kyle in an elegant bathroom in the middle of an awards show. It’s the third one he’s checked (why are there so many fucking _toilets_ in this place?), and he’s panicking a bit by the time the door swings open and he sees the familiar shape of his best friend standing by the sinks.

“Kyle,” he breathes- but it’s not him. It’s Kyle’s body that turns around and gives him a knowing smirk, but it’s not _Kyle_.

“Not quite,” the voice says, in Kyle’s rich baritone, as if it wasn’t obvious by the way Dan’s now got himself pressed up against the pristine white walls, eyes blown wide with fear.

“What are you doing here?” Dan says, voice shaking. “What are you doing, in- _in_ Kyle?” He shudders. “You’d better not be fucking hurting him. He has nothing to do with this.”

“Oh, but he has _everything_ to do with this,” the gravelly voice continues, raising a hand and flexing the fingers, pitch-black eyes watching the light flash off of Kyle’s rings. “Doesn’t he?”

“That wasn’t- I didn’t ask for that.” Dan stumbles away from the wall, as if the earth is rocking beneath his feet. “I _didn’t_.”

“Not exactly,” the demon concedes, taking a few steps forward until Dan starts stumbling back again. “But it’s what you _want_ , isn’t it? It’s why you did this in the first place.”

Dan shakes his head violently, his hands clenching into fists by his sides. “Shut _up_! It doesn’t matter to you _why_ I fucking did it, as long as you get what you want in the end.”

“Aww, come _on_ , Daniel,” not-Kyle replies, stretching out the words in a way that settles uncomfortably in Dan’s stomach. “Calm down, will you? I was in the area, just came to say hi. You didn’t really think you’re the _only_ one whose dreams I magically make come true on the daily, did you?”

“I-” Dan chokes on nothing. “What? How- how many have you... _done this_ to?”

“Give yourself some credit, Dan,” the voice scoffs. “Enough with the humble act, it’s entirely too boring. _You_ _did_ all of this-” Kyle’s hand gestures to the uncomfortable suits both of them are wearing- “I just…” Kyle shrugs. “Helped get you on the right path.”

“How. Many.” Dan grits his teeth, trying to stop his hands from shaking at his sides.

“You know what they say about curiosity,” the deep voice warns, stretching out Kyle’s neck and sighing deeply. “The [ other one ](https://open.spotify.com/artist/5ZsFI1h6hIdQRw2ti0hz81?si=I2WE5-nhRm-5REbCaxJqhw) with the ridiculous hair, obviously. Didn’t think he’d just be able to escape his faithful boyband and strike out on his own like that without assistance, did you? It’s a scary thing, you know. I just helped...ease some of that fear.” 

“What? Why him? He’s _twenty three_ , Jesus _Christ_ , man, why on _Earth_ would he agree to that?”

“So? You’re barely thirty yourself. And hey, I even threw a gorgeous model in the package for him, too, because I’m just _nice_ like that. As for you, well...I don’t think that’s exactly what you need, hmm?”

“That’s different.”

“Is it?”

Dan scowls and crosses his arms. “Shut up. You’re not supposed to be here for me yet and you know it. We had a _deal_.”

“And that’s exactly what I specialize in, sweetheart.” Kyle brushes a hand through his hair, eyes flicking back to their usual color.

“Don’t-” Dan swallows past the sudden tightness in his chest. “Don’t call me that. Especially not- not him.”

“Why not?” Not-Kyle says smoothly, innocently, suddenly closer than Dan had realized. He raises a hand, places it firmly on Dan’s shoulder. Dan squeezes his eyes shut, breathes sharply through his nose.

“Get away from me.”

“I thought you liked me,” the gravelly voice teases, pretending to be offended. “You like _him_ , though, and for all intents and purposes...”

“You’re not Kyle.”

“I’m not,” it agrees. “I’m better than him.”

“What?” If this situation were any crazier, Dan’s sure he would be laughing his ass off by now.

“ _I_ tell you the truth.” There’s a spark in Kyle’s dark eyes, suddenly- it knows it’s got Dan’s attention now. Now, to simply… “ _He_ wouldn’t admit to you that your feelings aren’t quite as unreciprocated as they may seem.”

Dan stills. There’s no other sounds, not even the murmur of voices from the main ballroom, though people are probably wondering where he is by now. How could he even _begin_ to explain if someone walks in and he’s- and _Kyle_ -

“You’re lying,” he says firmly, because that has to be the only correct thing to say. “He’s not in- he doesn’t like me like that. And I don’t feel that way for him. We’re _friends_.”

The demon’s laugh isn’t like Kyle’s. It’s not warm, or loud- it’s harsh, bouncing off the sharp angles of the room and piercing through Dan’s skull. They’re standing even closer now, Kyle’s fingers still digging into the flesh of Dan’s shoulder, their eyes having no choice but to meet.

“You don’t sound very convinced.”

“I don’t give a fuck what you think. Get out of him.”

“ _Patience_. Remember, I’m _helping you_ here. Right?”

And Dan’s furious, at the demon, at himself- but he’s also weak, so _incredibly_ weak. So when the demon drifts even closer and he squeezes his eyes shut, bracing for the worst, and ends up with a soft, calloused hand gently lifting his chin, he- he doesn’t exactly fight it.

Because it’s Kyle- but it’s not- but it’s _Kyle_ whose hands are on him, whose body is nearly pressed up against his own, whose beard scratches Dan’s face when he leans in to kiss him. 

By the time Dan dares to open his eyes again, Kyle- _real_ Kyle- is standing there in front of him, blinking rapidly, looking between Dan’s eyes and his mouth.

“I- what’s happening?”

Dan steadies himself, swallows, and says so quietly, almost hoping Kyle won’t hear him:

“I’ll tell you everything I can if you kiss me again like that.”

“But- I didn’t- I don’t know _why_ I…” Kyle looks so lost, confused, _scared_ that Dan regrets saying it immediately, but he supposes it’s a bit late now to take it back.

“I know,” he says softly. “But I do.”

Kyle’s silent for a moment, but his eyes are still unable to tear themselves away from Dan’s mouth, where his own had just been.

“I remember,” he says, as if trying to convince himself. “But...it wasn’t me.”

“I know,” Dan repeats, more urgently this time. “That’s why I need you to do it again.” Kyle sucks in a breath.

_I need to know_ , Dan’s eyes say. And Kyle does know. He remembers what he said when he wasn’t him. He knows Dan would never have asked this of him before, would have been too scared, too mindful of their carefully-constructed boundaries.

But now it’s all there, sitting innocently in the space between them, asking them what the hell they’re gonna do about it now.

_Remember, I’m helping you here. Right?_

_Fuck you_ , Dan thinks, as Kyle leans back in. 

* * *

_2020_

“There it goes!” Charlie exclaims, as if everyone’s eyes weren’t already fixated on the giant ball on the TV screen. It’s not even really that big, Dan thinks, but he smiles and counts down along with the rest, feeling the expected hand on his arm when they get down to three.

“Happy new year,” Kyle whispers in his ear, sending shivers down Dan’s side, before Dan turns and kisses the hell out of him to tune out the chaos on the other side of the room. Some of that noise is directed at them, after the excitement of the countdown has died down, and Dan breaks away first with an embarrassed laugh and hides his face in Kyle’s shoulder.

He’s smiling, chest bursting with feeling, until he feels his boyfriend tense beneath his head. Dan realizes with a second, more sinister shiver that Kyle’s noticed they’re virtually replicating that night in the alleyway. 

He sighs, reaching for Kyle’s hand, and squeezes his eyes shut.

Kyle was still under the impression Dan didn’t remember much of what had happened that night. And sure, some parts of it had fallen through the cracks- he’d been absolutely shitfaced, after all- but the rest would always be seared into his memory.

He’s usually pretty good at suppressing it, after nine whole years, but today...today, it’s different. 

Today, it’s 2020. 

And that means time is running out.

* * *

  
  


_2016_

“Ten years.”

Kyle freezes. Dan’s standing there, chest heaving, arms trembling by his sides, throat threatening to close up on him the longer he lets the words hang in the air. “Happy now?”

“Ten years,” Kyle breathes, sinking down onto the hotel bed. “Fuck. _Fuck_.”

“You wanted to know so badly,” Dan continues, voice cracking. “There it is. Ten fucking years. That’s- that’s it.”

“I…” Kyle shakes his head, staring at the carpet. Dan can’t read his expression. “I don’t understand. _Why_?”

“From what I understand, that’s the standard length of time they give for-”

“Not that. Why- why _do_ it, Dan?” Kyle looks up, and Dan’s heart sinks when he sees his best friend’s red-rimmed eyes. “Did you really think so little of us? Of yourself?”

“ _No_ , fuck, of _course not_ , I just…” Dan sighs, plops down on the other bed, runs a hand through his hair again, wincing at the product that comes off onto his hand as he does. “I don’t know. Everything was so _new_ , and uncertain, and I- I was _scared_ , I guess. It knew that, and it followed me outside, and _fuck_ , I shouldn’t have ever done it, Kyle.”

“New?” Kyle sucks in a breath and looks up at the ceiling. “Dan,” he says slowly, “You’re telling me you made that deal on _that_ night. _Five years ago_.”

“I did.”

“But that means...you’ve only got…”

“I know.”

“ _Fuck_.”

“Yeah.”

* * *

_2020_

“So, finally,” the interviewer continues. “You know I have to ask: what’s next for Bastille?”

It’s the most mundane of questions, the most expected from an interview like this- and that’s good, that’s fine. Dan knows how to answer this.

“Well, we’d planned on taking a break soon,” he starts with a shrug. “But then I realized I couldn’t just stop myself from writing, so…”

“Does this mean we could be seeing a new album by the end of this year?” The interviewer raises their eyebrows. “Not to jump to conclusions, but…”

“There’s-” Dan hesitates. “I guess I’m allowed to say there’s a project in the works, yeah.”

He’s been allowed to say it for quite some time, now, but could never bring himself to do it. He’s not quite sure what convinces him to say it now, but he does, and instead of feeling like a weight has been lifted off him, it settles even heavier against his chest. 

There’s more, so much more, right on the tip of his tongue- but he swallows it down and says, “You’ll just have to wait and see, really. I’m hoping it will surprise everyone quite a bit.”

_Because it’s gonna be the last one you ever get._

Kyle tugs him aside afterwards, slips a hand into his as they walk back through the maze of hallways in the radio station.

“You alright?” He’s quiet, speaking under his breath, looking ahead and pretending as if he hadn’t spoken at all.

“Yeah.”

“Wanna try that again, maybe?” Kyle squeezes Dan’s hand lightly, glances over at him this time. “Honestly?”

Dan sniffs, casting his eyes skyward as they step out onto the street. “I didn’t want to tell that interviewer, today.”

“I know. You didn’t have to.”

“I _did_ , though.” They both watch as a taxi peels off from the rest of the traffic and comes to a stop by the curb. “I can’t just never tell them anything. Would kind of defeat the purpose, wouldn’t it?”

“I know, but-” Kyle’s voice drops as the rest of the band drifts closer. “We can’t exactly ignore the elephant in the room, here, can we?”

“I’m not ignoring it.” Dan scowls at Kyle’s raised eyebrows. “Seriously. I’ve been...researching again, like we said.”

“Anything useful?”

“Unless you know of any stores that sell demon-killing weapons, not much so far.”

“What about the others? Track any more down?” Dan shrugs.

“They’re good at hiding it. Lewis is the only one we’ve been in contact with recently.”  
  


“How’s he doing?”

“Alright. About as well as one could be while staring down the barrel of a gun, you know?” Dan lowers his voice even further as he clambers into the black car with the others. “At least he got a better deal. I still don’t know how he convinced that maniac to give him _fifteen_ years.”

Kyle snorts. “If anybody could bargain with a demon, it would be fuckin’ Capaldi.” He clears his throat when Will gives him a weird look, adding “inside joke, you wouldn’t get it,” before leaning back against the seat and closing his eyes. He can’t help the smile that tugs at the corner of his mouth when he feels a hand slide onto his thigh and just sit there, a comforting weight. 

He’s glad they can talk about it now, that the mere mention of it doesn’t send Dan into a full-blown panic attack that Kyle tries his best to ease him through. But he knows it can’t be easy, discussing your own dismal fate as if they’re deciding what to have for dinner. 

Oh, what he wouldn’t give to take that burden off of his shoulders.

* * *

  
  


_2021_

“Have you tried exorcising it yet?”

Dan and Kyle stare, openmouthed, at Will, who slouches back against the sofa and shrugs. “Well? Have you?”

“I knew we never should’ve told him,” Dan moans, curled up in his chair in the corner of the studio. 

“What?” Will glances from one face to the other. “Have you really not tried that?”

“How would _you_ know what to do?” Kyle leans back against the wall, foot tapping on the rung of his stool. “This is a _demon_ we’re talking about. Like, an _actual real demon_.”

“I had a girlfriend, a while back- obsessed with _Supernatural._ Like, unhealthily obsessed. Got the tattoo and everything.” Will takes in their blank expressions and rolls his eyes. “You have no idea how fucking lucky you are.”

“Oh, _really_ ?” Dan mutters from behind his legs- Kyle still has no idea how that’s even _vaguely_ comfortable- “Are you the one who’s got a date with death in two weeks?”

Will pauses. “You never said anything about two weeks.” He sits up, placing a hand on the fake leather seat to steady himself. “We only have _two fucking weeks_ to stop this thing?”

“Yeah.” Kyle swallows, looking over at Dan. “We’ve tried to figure something out, we really have. But nothing’s going to work. Not against this thing.”

“Well,” Will takes a deep breath, slapping his hands against his thighs as if that settled things. “Guess you guys just haven't tried hard enough.”

* * *

_2018_

“And...that’s a wrap! Thanks, everybody!” 

“ _Fucking finally_ ,” Dan mutters under his breath, relaxing his shoulders. If he has to hear the electronic hook of his own [ song ](https://youtu.be/QGtPHnCBH3w) _one more fucking time_ ….the stupid fucking bucket-helmet turns towards him slightly, and he swears he can hears a low laugh emanate from inside it.

He frowns, the hair on the back of his neck standing up as he steps away from the blinding studio lights. He’s sweating under the heat of them, as they all are- but when he exhales, a vapor cloud floats in front of his face for just a moment, and he stops in his tracks. A chill shoots down his spine- the only other time that had happened had been in that alley, before-

“Nice work,” the muffled voice says from behind him, and Dan flinches. By the time he turns around, Chris has pulled the helmet off his head, holding it under his arm like he’s some sort of futuristic race car driver. He flashes a smile at Dan, thumping him good-naturedly on the shoulder before he heads off to get changed out of his stupid outfit.

Dan’s own smile falters as he watches him go, but the hired crew is already starting to break down the set, and he moves off to one side as they pass by him. Kyle’s by his side in an instant, all smiles as he gestures for Dan to follow him off the set. He does, warily, still unable to shake the feeling of unease settling heavily over his skin. 

* * *

_2021_

“I love you, you know.”

“We’re not doing this.”

“I don’t care.”

  
“It’s going to work.”

“And if it doesn’t?”

“Then I guess I’ll have to face the consequences of my own actions then, won’t I?”

“It _tricked you_ , Dan. It preyed on your insecurities, your good intentions, got you alone in that alley- for god’s sake, you were _drunk_ -”

“Kyle.” Dan steps right into the other man’s space, placing one hand on his shoulder and draping the other over the back of his neck. “You know how many times we’ve been over this. We both know what happened. What’s done is done.”

“But-” Kyle hesitates, letting out a deep breath after a moment. “I just...I’m not gonna let you die, okay? I’m not.”

Dan gives him a small, sad smile. “I know.”

_But you might have to_.

  
  


“You’re early,” is the only thing Dan can think to say when he turns around and Will isn’t Will anymore. He can hear Kyle gasp and flinch behind him, but Dan’s surprisingly calm as the dark smirk grows on his friend’s face. “It’s barely midnight.”

“What?” The demon rolls its eyes (Will’s eyes?) and looks right at Dan. “I have a schedule to keep, you know. I gave you a whole ten years- what’s another hour?”

_Everything_. _That’s what it is, you bastard._

“It doesn’t matter,” he says instead, straightening as much as he can. “You can’t take my soul.”

Will stares at him for a moment, dumbstruck, before bursting out laughing. It looks _off_ coming out of the usually-quiet man, and Dan can hear Kyle whispering a panicked _what the fuck, Dan, what the Fuck_ \- but he just swallows and nods his head sharply.

“You can’t. It’s not happening.”

“Says who?” Not-Will wipes the tears from his eyes dramatically. “Says _you_?” 

“No,” Dan replies. “Says him.”

The demon pauses, frowns, and Dan can see the moment the realization dawns on him. The temperature in the room drops even further, and Dan has the fleeting, ridiculous thought that he should have remembered to put on a sweatshirt before this. _Would they mind? It would only take a second..._

“Hey, Chris,” he says, with all the casualness he can manage. “Thanks for joining us.”

“Oh, the pleasure’s _alllll_ mine,” the newcomer drawls, leaning against the wall behind not-Will. “How’s it going, Carl?”

Dan struggles to keep his face impassive as the demon- _Carl_ , apparently- whips his head around and glares at Chris. Kyle isn’t so successful. 

“You- you’re-” he gets out between bouts of strained laughter. “What kind of scary demon name is _Carl_?”

“ ** _Shut up_** ,” the demon growls, eyes flicking to black. He starts towards Kyle, but Dan and Chris move at the same time- Dan stepping in front of Kyle to shield his body with his own, and Chris just waving a hand lazily- and Carl freezes. 

“ _No_.” He surges forward, the veins in Will’s arms straining as he reaches for Dan. Dan can feel a reassuring hand gripping the back of his shirt, but the demon isn’t getting any closer. Dan feels a laugh of his own bubbling up- despite, you know, everything.

“You see,” Chris says, pushing off the wall and approaching the other demon, letting his own eyes turn black as he does. “You have your deals, and I have mine. I happen to need this one, so I’m afraid he’s off the market for now.”

“But- you know how it works, you can’t just-” Carl sputters, still straining against his invisible bonds. “Even _you_ can’t break a deal.”

“You’re right, I can’t.” The hand on Dan’s back tightens its hold on his shirt. “You simply...have the wrong person.”

“What?” Dan, Kyle, and the trapped demon say at the same time, before going back to glaring at each other warily.

“Now, we can all agree that the contract was for Dan Smith of Bastille, correct?” Chris says smoothly, and Dan makes a mental note to at least stop calling him bucket-head until this has all blown over. “I guess you haven’t heard the news, then?” 

Three sets of eyes stare back at him blankly. _They don’t even tell me when my own damn album’s coming out_ , Dan thinks wryly. _What else is new?_

* * *

  
  


_2022_

“Thank you all for coming!” Dan says over the constant screaming of the small, packed audience. “We couldn’t have done any of this without you.”  
  


He can say that and _mean it_ , now, and it feels _good_. Really good. He hears the backing track change, looks over at Kyle and meets his eyes before the keyboardist starts the familiar intro, and raises the microphone to his face again.

_Lately, I’ve been, I’ve been thinking…_

He sings to the crowd, dressed in a dizzying array of bright pink and tie dye, trying to remember not to accidentally wipe off any of his own “carefully-applied” face paint. He sings to the camera gliding by between him and the audience, capturing live-stream footage of a never-before-seen event: the debut live performance by up-and-coming British pop band Chaos Planet.

**Author's Note:**

> the BIGGEST shoutout to [written_you_down](https://archiveofourown.org/users/written_you_down) for being my wonderful beta reader- we had some... _very_ interesting discussions that led to the introduction of marshmello as 'rival demon' and imo it worked out a lot better than I was expecting but I couldn't have done it without her :)


End file.
